Sydney’s iconic Midnight Shift up for sale

ICONIC Sydney gay venue, the Midnight Shift is up for sale – and there’s no guarantee it will remain an LGBTI run venue or be aimed at gay punters.

According to a listing on the website of estate agent Oxford Commercial, the site covers 849sq m and includes the Shift along with two adjoining shops.

Oxford Commercial says it is a “prime location within one of Australia’s premier entertainment and retail precincts on the edge of Sydney.”

The advert says the site is in; “one of Sydneys [sic] most sort [sic] after residential areas where people love to live, work and play.”

The Midnight Shift reduced its hours from seven to four days a week just 11 days ago blaming the NSW Government’s lockouts for decimating its customer numbers.

Leigh Harder, venue coordinator, told the Star Observer in late March that revenue generated on the weekend was not sufficient to cover the operating costs on the quieter days of the week.

“The lockout is supposed to reduce violence and yet our venue has a good record and in the end it’s our customers who are being affected by these new laws.

“The new laws are unfair to venues to venues up and down Oxford Street and unfair to our customers,” Harder said.

The Australian Hospitality Association warned pubs could close due to the effects of the lockout:

“The concerning thing is that this may just be the beginning, I think we are going to see a lot more venues cut back their hours and even close down over coming weeks and months as a result of the Government’s actions,” John Green, the Director of Policing for AHA NSW told the Star Observer two weeks ago.

Oxford Street venue Gay Bar shut up shop in March while famous gay pubs such as the Newtown Hotel and The Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills have been sold and refurbished aiming for a wider demographic.